{"id":714,"date":"2023-06-07T00:56:52","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T00:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stageraw.com\/remake\/?p=714"},"modified":"2023-06-12T00:44:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T00:44:08","slug":"immigrants-of-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stageraw.com\/remake\/immigrants-of-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"(Im)migrants of the State"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]\n

(Im)migrants of the State<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Reviewed by Socks Whitmore<\/strong>
\nThe Actors\u2019 Gang<\/strong><\/em>
\nThrough May 13, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

RECOMMENDED<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Six months ago, the Actors\u2019 Gang celebrated their 40th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary by returning to their roots with a revival of\u00a0Ubu the King<\/em>, the anarchic satire play that sparked the company\u2019s beginnings. This spring, the King has been joined in repertory by a second momentous item in the Gang\u2019s ambitious season:\u00a0(Im)migrants of the State<\/em>, a one-of-a-kind production co-created by an ensemble of alumni from the company\u2019s Prison Project with the Director of Programs, Jeremie Loncka. The play is an extension of The Prison Project\u2019s mission to provide theater programming to the incarcerated and to shift the societal conversation around prison culture, giving fourteen formerly incarcerated Californians the chance to retell their true stories on stage.<\/p>\n

The show begins in the lobby with two \u201cguards\u201d who address and corral the audience into the theater in the style of a prison onboarding, though the level of immersion is thankfully mild and humorously flavored. The piece quickly seg ways into a series of vignettes exploring the lives and hardships of the various inmates before and during their incarceration, offering crucially humanizing insights into a community that is too rarely discussed with public compassion. The satirical humor and steady pace throughout make for a gratifying watch, though even in theatricalized form, the harsh realities of each actor\u2019s life can weigh heavily; from gunshots and overdoses to rape and self-harm, the interwoven storylines address a wide variety of harrowing traumas and injustices. In particular, the play illustrates the pervasive impact of race and racism on gang culture and the criminal justice system, both before and behind bars, and the dehumanization inmates experience at the hands of criminal justice officials.<\/p>\n

Like other Actors\u2019 Gang productions,\u00a0(Im)migrants of the State<\/em>\u00a0draws from a distinctly stylized form of physical theater, ranging from the comedic use of cardboard cutout props to the out-of-time, slow-motion dramatization of a gang jumping. The medium feels fitting for the project; the technical simplicity keeps the focus on the performers and narrative, which captivate effectively on their own. The script covers an unusual amount of linguistic ground, including bilingual conversations, explanations of cultural terms, and, curiously, several monologues in verse over the course of the show. Audience members can recognize the clear authentic voice behind the writing, and the disquieting truths about the system it seeks to expose.<\/p>\n

The show\u2019s ending almost doesn\u2019t feel like it truly ends; the cast transitions to a group therapy-esque chair circle, providing a short but sweet opportunity for formerly incarcerated audience members to share their own stories with the actors, and the impact of visibility is palpable. It perhaps goes without saying that stories about incarceration are almost never told by those who\u2019ve lived them, and\u00a0(Im)migrants<\/em>\u00a0of the State\u00a0<\/em>is a necessary, smartly crafted disruptor to the pattern.<\/p>\n

The Actors\u2019 Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City; Fri.- Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 2 pm; thru May 13.<\/strong>https:\/\/theactorsgang.com\/events<\/a>\u00a0Running time: 90 minutes<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”902″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”center” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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